Pingree Needs To Follow Words With Action

Yesterday, Maine’s new U.S. Representative, Chellie Pingree, gave a good speech about same-sex marriage. She celebrated the passage of legislation enabling same-sex marriage in Maine, saying,

“Maine moved the country one step closer to federally recognizing and protecting the right for two people, regardless of their gender, to be married. Maine has always been an independent State with a forward-looking legislative body and citizens with common sense. I stand here today to congratulate my home State on the passage of this landmark victory.”

That’s a great sentiment, and I applaud Representative Pingree for sharing it. However, members of the U.S. House of Representatives are not given their positions so that they can express sentiments. Their job is to address the needs of the nation with legislative solutions.

As of this morning, Chellie Pingree has not authored any legislation to do at the national level what state legislators did in Maine: To bring marriage equality to all couples, regardless of sexual orientation. Neither has Representative Pingree cosponsored any marriage equality legislation written by any other members of Congress.

If Representative Pingree really meant what she said, she will follow her speech with action. She will write or cosponsor legislation to legalize same-sex marriage across the United States. If she fails to act, her speech means nothing.